Friday becomes Freeday

It was a lovely day in Daejeon. I had gone to bed a bit late last night –Social Club Night- but Thumper was there as well, so he didn’t wake up quite as early as normal, nor did he do his “midnight confessions.” I was a bit shaggy when I woke up. I only had three beers at the SC, but they were 500cc which are, I think, bigger than pints?

But I wandered up to work and quickly Questia’d a bit more of the book I will be reviewing. I now have about .25 of the short stories (three to read tonight) and since I also figured out how to use the English floor of the BPU Library, I have “Traditional Korea A Cultural History.” It should be a good reading weekend. I went up to a restaurant where all the partiers from last night were going. Good thing I left early as it turned into a soju-shot party. I’m too old for that, I’m afraid. Still, shot the shit with a bunch of instructors and had a US quality grilled cheese sammich and US quality coffee. This cafe was opened by the wife of an instructor and I think she might make a mint. No other Korean has noticed that there are about 100 rich (relatively speaking) foreigners all trapped in one building. This is classically Korean. Most Koreans could no more imagine the inside of the head of a non-Korea than they could turn themselves inside out and crap gold bricks. They don’t see potential markets because, well, to be honest, since nothing is better than Kimchi, why serve anything else? It is a version of the general Korean marketing problem – inability to understand that others might have other things they like.. The proprietress has figured this out and the place has some hours where it does gangbuster business. It also makes some very western cakes and cookies and that seems to have caught on with students (she is two blocks down the main road from the University Gate). I predict success. She’ll see me at least two times a week just because she has real coffee.

After that, I thought I’d head up to the Uni. My classes had been cancelled for some kind of Freshman Athletic Event and I thought I’d see if my Japanese Studies students were on the field, winning glory (The pics you see here are from that event). I’d run in the morning, so my legs were a bit creaky, but I found the students and spent the next three hours watching bizarre Korean team-building exercises. In the “race with a bowl of water” the Japanese Studies team busted out in the early stages. One of the guys in my class, Wolf, ran like.. well a wolf and handed the JS team the “come from behind” lead in the second stage. Sadly, he then handed off to some guy who promptly surrendered the lead and then.. it was unclear.. handed off to another runner (a woman in my class) and the two either got tangled up, or she just plain corkscrewed in. She got up and finished her lap, but the spill meant the team finished second to last. Still, not last, so although it was sad that an accident occurred, some other team became the nerds.

The “track” was just chalk lines on one of those malignant dirt-n-spit soccer pitches and although the woman tried to walk off the abrasion on her arm, the team leader just about screamed the scratched woman’s head off. There was no way the team leader was letting the abrasion lay untreated and the non-fallen comrade was dragged off to the medical tent for some thorough cleaning, spraying with life-icide, and a rather impressive bandage. Can’t have the tuition paying kiddies expiring in their first terms!

Then there was a soccer game. It was a mind-numbing nil-nil tie at the half, but the All-Whites woke up in the second half and scored twice directly after halftime. Then it went all mind-numbing again. I don’t think I’ll ever completely enjoy watching soccer unless they legalize flamethrowers and ninja stars. I’ll also be needing completely nude cheerleaders.

Wandered back down home, where I sit with a delicious Soju cocktail (yeah, it’s past 5) contemplating a trip to the PC Bang to post this thing and do some preliminary sucking up to Education in Asia about possible photo opportunities in the future.

The other thing that happened last night, was I saw the flat I want next term. My Scotts friend is leaving and he had me up to take a look at his room. It is just up the road. It is top floor(!) and in the back. And it has three times the storage this joint has. Even better? All utilities are assessed at 60K won per month. The place is smaller (one bedroom as opposed to living room and bedroom) and only has the electric cooking top, but everything else is golden. The bed is also a nice double so if OAF ever shows up she won’t have to sleep on the floor. I have to figure out how to make sure I get this place. There’s some knob-polishing in my future, that’s for sure. ;-)